Gary Gentry

From The Met Wiki

Gary Gentry was a pitcher for the Mets from 1969 to 1972. He won 13 games in his rookie season en route to the team's first World Series championship. Gary won a total of 41 games in his four years with the Mets with 563 strikeouts and 8 shutouts.

Gentry was drafted by the Mets out of Arizona State University in 1967. He pitched his first major league game on April 10, 1969 at Shea Stadium. Gary went eight and two-thirds innings, getting the win in the Mets' 4-2 victory over the Montreal Expos.

In '69, Gary pitched three shutouts for the Mets, two of which came in the September pennant drive. He blanked the Expos on six hits with nine strikeouts on September 11 and limited the Cardinals to four hits while striking out five in the Mets' East Division clincher on September 24. Gentry's other shutout in '69 came in Philadelphia on June 17.

Gentry was the starting pitcher for the Mets in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series in 1969 on his 23rd birthday. Although Gary was taken out in the third inning, the Mets came out with a victory over the Braves to advance to the World Series. Gentry was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series against the Orioles, pitching three-hit ball in six and two-thirds innings and hitting a two-run double.

Following the '69 title, Gary pitched three more seasons for the Mets. His most noteworthy games were two one-hitters on May 13, 1970 at Chicago and April 18, 1971 against the Pirates at Shea Stadium. The lone hit in each game came from a Hall of Famer - Ernie Banks and Roberto Clemente. Also in '71, Gary struck out 11 batters in a game on August 4 (vs. Reds) and September 2 (at Philadelphia.)

Injuries plagued Gentry in 1972. His record was 7-10 while his earned run average soared to 4.01 for the year. Following the season, Gary was traded to the Braves with Danny Frisella for George Stone and Felix Millan. Gary pitched in 26 games for Atlanta with a 5-7 record before being released in 1975.